Syracuse University quarterback of the future must be ready, willing, able to move

Frank Ordoñez / The Post-StandardSyracuse University quarterback Ryan Nassib looks to throw a short pass to tight end David Stevens (86) as linebacker Dyshawn Davis (35) gives chase during an April 7 scrimmage in Rochester.

Syracuse, NY -- Even though he returns a two-year starter, Syracuse University football coach Doug Marrone is waiting to name his quarterback for the 2012 season.

The fourth-year head coach might just be trying to stoke the competition on the practice field this spring, but he’s clear on what wants from the position – more rollouts and runs – and not the kind that only come when a linebacker is breathing down his quarterback’s neck.

Marrone has watched the position change in college and the NFL, and he sees the way mobile quarterbacks can neutralize fast, aggressive defenses.

What’s more, Marrone has painful memories from 2011 of what quarterbacks such as Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville and B.J. Daniels of South Florida, among others, were able to do against the Orange defense – make plays with their feet, or at least extend them until a receiver came open.

Whether it’s redshirt-senior Ryan Nassib, newcomer Ashton Broyld or one of three quarterbacks in between, Marrone said the position behind center must change.

“A lot of things start at the top (NFL) and go to the bottom,” Marrone said of change in football. “I think this one started in college and is influencing the next level. When you see what’s going on now – with Cam Newton (of the Carolina Panthers), who had a very good year, and you look at (Heisman winner) Robert Griffin III of Baylor … all of the quarterbacks, especially at the college level. What you’re seeing is a lot more mobility from those quarterbacks … being able to run the football, being able to extend plays. That’s where a lot of the big plays are coming from.”

Whether or not SU has that player on its roster yet remains to be seen. Here are the current candidates:

Nassib (6-2, 229 pounds), a two-year starter who passed for a school-record 2,685 yards in 2011;

Charley Loeb (6-4, 212), a junior who saw limited action in 2010 but only took the field last season as a holder for field goals and PATs;

Sophomore John Kinder (6-3, 181), a former scout team player who came to SU as a dual-threat quarterback and reportedly has improved greatly as a passer;

Second-year freshman Terrel Hunt (6-3, 203), a versatile athlete who sat out this spring because of a shoplifting charge; and

Broyld (6-4, 229), a dual-threat high school star who threw for 24 TDs and ran for 24 more in leading Rush-Henrietta of Rochester to a state Class AA title in 2010.

All four presumably will take snaps in today’s annual Spring Game in the Carrier Dome. The free event begins at noon and includes a four-quarter scrimmage.

Frank Ordoñez / The Post-StandardSophomore quarterback John Kinder runs with the ball during a scrimmage April 7 in Rochester. Kinder is one of five quarterbacks on the Orange roster this spring.

Since practices have been closed this spring, it’s hard to say too much about how Nassib, Loeb, Kinder or Broyld stack up. Nassib was clearly ahead of the others in his command of the offense two weeks ago during a scrimmage in Rochester.

But Marrone was careful that day to avoid anointing a starter.

While praising Nassib, the coach said Loeb and Kinder each were having very good springs, and he called Broyld “a playmaker.”

“Ryan has had a very good spring, but Charley Loeb has made great strides this spring. And John Kinder is playing better than he ever has for us,” Marrone said.

In a recent interview, Marrone said he and his assistants tweaked the SU offense to use designed runs and rollouts to keep the quarterback from being trapped in the pocket so much this season.

“Being more of a running threat, and a movement threat, rolling out and doing things,” he said when asked how the position would change. “It’s been very successful for a lot of teams. Those are the things we’re moving forward on.”

Marrone admitted that the coaching staff kept Nassib from running much last year, and that philosophy has changed.

“If you are a one-dimensional quarterback, it puts pressure on everybody else,” he said.

Marrone said Nassib has shown the ability to run, as evidenced during the 2010 season when he took off on a 28-yard TD run against Washington after seeing the Huskies were playing man-to-man in the secondary. Nassib also made a 45-yard scamper late in a game at Akron.

“When you don’t give him that ability, and you’re always trying to force him to be one-dimensional … you lose some opportunities,” Marrone said. “You’ve also limited the (opposing) defense in what they have to defend.”

The hope is that the threat of a running quarterback adds a new dimension to an offense that hasn’t lit up the scoreboard consistently since Marrone took over in 2009.

The SU offense has averaged 22.5 points and 333.8 yards per game the past three seasons.

While those numbers compare favorably with an average of 16.4 points and 270.9 yards per game put up the previous four seasons, Marrone knows he needs more from his offense in order to win games.

In Rochester, the quartet of Nassib, Loeb, Kinder and Broyld didn’t exactly race up and down the field, but the Orange quarterbacks did run the ball, and they rolled out some, too.

Nassib in particular made one nice play by rolling to his right and eventually finding Jeremiah Kobena, who changed his route and was running wide open across the middle of the field, for a 25-yard TD pass. Still, that play was more of a scramble than a designed rollout.

Marrone said he’s still trying to decide just how to man the quarterback position this season. He isn’t sure whether he’ll use a rotation – to prepare someone new to take over next season – or stick with one player.

He and his assistants will devise a two-deep depth chart and release it a week or two after today’s game. Then he’ll tackle the rest of the quarterback questions.

“If you’re asking me, do we have someone here right now, do we have someone who can beat Ryan out in the spring, or take over when he leaves? We’ll have a lot of information after the spring,” Marrone said.

Even if Nassib wins and keeps the job this season, there is going to be a wide-open scramble in 2013.

Loeb, Kinder and Hunt will remain, and Marrone said this year’s recruiting efforts are focused on bringing in several new candidates.

“This is a big year for us, from a recruiting standpoint, because we did not bring in a quarterback last year. We’re probably going to bring in two,” said Marrone who considers Broyld, who attended Milford Academy last fall, part of the 2011 class.

Marrone said the program is looking for three qualities – Is he a dual threat; does he provide leadership; and can he extend plays.

And if the Orange finds the right guy, could he leap into a starting role in 2013?

“The question really is: Would you have a problem playing someone who just came into this program from high school? And the answer is no, I would not have that problem,” Marrone said.